Re: Why isn't the 4014 working hard?
Author: Boy Big
Date: 05-07-2019 - 17:59
tundraboomer Wrote:
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> Hot Water Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > WHAT?????? What makes you think the either
> > engine is "crippled"? Just because the rear
> engine
> > might not be "leaking any steam" surely does
> NOT
> > mean it is "crippled"!
>
> Jack, I'm a railroader but know almost nothing
> about steam locomotives. I'm just trying to
> understand what I'm seeing in the videos. I see
> puffs of steam coming from BOTH front cylinders on
> 4014 and from BOTH of 844's cylinders, but nothing
> from either of the rear cylinders on 4014 so I
> assumed the front 4014/844 cylinders are in a
> normal state and the rear 4014 cylinders are not.
> So going by what you are saying, I have it
> backwards and both the front 4014 cylinders and
> the 844 cylinders are leaking, which is normal? I
> appreciate you sharing your expertise here for
> those of us who are steam-tarded.
Ok. Then. Leakage (or blow-by) of the magnitude of that seen from the front cylinders of 4014 and right cylinder of 844 is not normal.
It is excessive to the point of requiring repairs. Steam locomotives exhibiting such defects would never have been dispatched in that condition in the first place in steam days.
Should such a condition develop on the road, said locomotive would have been cut off the train at the first location where it could be repaired to prevent further damage being done to the rod packing or the rod sliding surface itself, such as gouging of the machined and ground surfaces of the piston rod or the packing rings breaking up into smaller pieces.
The piston rod itself can also be damaged by the resultant friction and subsequent overheating.
Rod packing is a wear item and is replaced when it wears to this extent. It is lubricated by oil fed from one of the mechanical lubricators, usually the one containing valve oil due to the high temps.